Retractor bolt



Al1g 28, 1951 H. ElcHAcKER 2,566,284

RETRACTOR BOLT I K '2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 50, 1554"(v 1FL-L .1.

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H. EICHACKER 2,566,284

RETRACTOR BOLT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vval.il

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Aug. 2s, 1951 Patented Aug. 28, 1951 NUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RE-TRACTOR BOLT Homer Eichacker, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor to Vonnegut Hardware Company, Indianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application August 30, 1947, Serial No. 771,408

4 Claims. 1 The present invention relates to a latch bolt for swinging closures, and is particularly concerned with the provision of means, extremely simple and inexpensive, and yet faithful in periormance and sturdy to resist wear and damage, for holding a latch bolt in retracted position Vduring swinging movement of its associated closure; such means being of such character that the bolt is automatically released for projection whenthe closure is moved to closed position. Ancillary objectives will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and re- `lated objects, my invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention ibeing called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

p Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a double swinging door equipped with panic latches, showing a typical installation of my retractor bolt;

- Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a latch bolt and housing usable at the bottom end of such a door; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the `line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a latch assembly constructed in accordance with my invention and `adapted for installation at the top of such a door;

Fig` 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 5--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the assembly illustrated in Fig. 4;

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are transverse sections taken,

respectively, substantially on line 1--T, 8-8, and L 9,-9 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 10 is a broken perspective view of a pre- Vferred means for providing a connection between a pull rod and my rocking latch bolt;

, Fig. 11 is a fragmental section taken in the plane of Fig. 5 and showing the parts in a different position of adjustment;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a modified form of retractor bolt; and

` Fig. 13 is a vertical section through the assemvbly` of Fig. 12.

Closure installations of the character illustrated in Fig. 1 are very common and well known upper and-,lower ends, and the door II being,`

2 provided with similar latch bolts I4 and I5. Each door is provided with a panic bar I6 or I'I constructed and arranged to operate pull rods 22 and 29 for retracting the bolts at the upper and lower ends of the doors.

Spring means is customarily provided for projecting the latch bolts into association with their sockets or keepers; and, unless special means is provided, that spring means will tend to hold the bolts in projected positions at all times except when pressure is being exerted against the associated panic bars I6 or I1.

Since there are many installations in which it is necessary or desirable to cause the lower bolts I3 and I5 to enter keepers such as I8, the top surfaces of which are flush with the licor surface I9, it will be obvious that unless retaining means is provided, the bolts I3 and I5 would frequently drag across the floor I9 during swinging movement of the closures I0 and II.

Various forms of retainers have heretofore been devised; but, so far as I am advised, they have all involved relatively complicated trigger,4

cam, gear, or toggle mechanisms which not only are expensive to manufacture and assemble, but are subject to numerous disorders and may frequently jam as a result of the Violent use to which panic latch mechanisms are frequently subjected.

I have devised an extremely simple, yet sturdy and effective means for holding the latch bolts in retracted positions from the time when such bolts are retracted by actuation of the panic bar until the closure with which the latch mechanisrn is associated is positively moved to closed position.

In the illustrated installation, a latch housing 2l is secured to that surface of the door lil which faces in the direction of door-closing movement, and near the bottom end thereof. The pull rod 22 enters the top of the housing and within the housing is operatively connected to the upper end of the latch bolt I3, a spring 20 being confined between an abutment on said rod and the upper end of the housing "I as shown. A screw I 23 is set into one face of the bolt I3, the head 23 v housing 25 is preferably formed to provide a parts are in the positions of Fig. 5.

plane rear surface 26 adapted to seat against the door face.

The forward wall 2'! of the housing 25 inclines upwardly and away from the surface 25, and is provided with an abutment 28 at its upper end projecting substantially horizontally toward the surface 2in". The pull rod 2E? enters the lower end of the housing and is operatively connected, within the housing, with the lower end of the latch bolt I2.

Said end of the latch bolt is bifurcated to provide furcations 3S and 3! straddling the upper end of the pull rod 29. As is most clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 10, a web 32 joins the lower ends of said furcations and is perforated to receive the rod 29. The upper surface of said web 32 is oppositely chamfered as at 33 on its edges facing the front and rear walls of the housing 25. Spaced slightly above the web 32, and joining the furcations 3B and 3I, is a second web 3d, likewise perforated for the accommodation of the -rod 29, and the lower surface of this web is similarly oppositely chamfered as at 35. The rod 29 is formed, in the region adapted to be positioned between the webs S2 and 34, with -transverse grooves adapted to receive the furcations of a bifurcated washer 36.

It will be perceived that, for assembly, the space between the webs 32 and 34 may be brought into registry with the opening 37; the rod 29 may be entered in the perforations in said webs, with its grooves in registry with the space between said webs, and the washer 3S may be assembled with the rod and the bolt. Thereafter, the assembled parts are lifted and a screw 39 may be seated in a threaded bore in the rear surface of the bolt for cooperation with an abutment il!) toflimit the throw of the bolt.

On its front surface, and near its outer end, the bolt I2 is provided with a transverse groove or notch 33, adapted, at times, to receive the rearwardly projecting abutment 28. A resilient leaf spring Ali is adapted to have its lower end if supported upon a transverse wall 43 formed on the housing; and said leaf is iiexed by threading it outside a transverse bar ifi and inside a transverse bar i5 formed on the housing, the upper end te of said leaf bearing against the rear surface of the bolt I2 to urge said bolt to rock forwardly about its support upon the washer 3S.

A strike or keeper il is adapted to be secured to the soft stop -G'F of the door frame in such a position to cooperate with the bolt I2 when the door is closed. Said strike is formed to provide a wall t facing in the direction of door- Apin 59, or the like.

4 notch 38 to hold the bolt in retracted position. Since the rods 29 and 22 are coordinated through the actuating mechanism associated with the bar I6, the bolt I3 will likewise be retained in retracted position.

The parts will remain in this condition until, upon closure of the door, the forwardly-leaning bolt i2 strikes the lip 49, just before the door comes into contact with the surfaced', whereby the bolt will be arrested while the housing 25 continues to move, with the door I0, for a further -fraction of an inch in door-closing direction. Thereby the notch 38 will be disengaged from the abutment 218, and the spring means associated with the two bolts I2 and I3 will project said bolts to the positions of Figs. 3 and 5.

n Figs. 12 and 13, I have shown a simpler embodiment of my invention in which the housing E5 is replaced by a skeletal housing or bracket 5e formed to provide a toe 56 perforated at 51 to guide the pull rod 2S. The strap A58 guides the latch bolt I2', the lower end of which is bifurcated to straddle the upper end of the rod 29', and is pivotally connected thereto by a The forward surface of the bolt i2 is provided with a notch 60 cooperable with the front wall of the strap 58.

A leaf spring EI may have one end secured, as by a screw 62, to the rear face of the bolt I2', its free end slidingly engaging thebracket K 55 to urge the bolt I2' forwardly. The keeper i2, when the latter is fully projected, to prevent opening movement of the door. The keeper il is so disposed as to locate the wall 29. in a plane spaced beyond the surface 48 of the 'soflit stop by an amount substantially equal to the distance between the rear surface of the bolt I2 and the adjacent surface of the door Iii when the A lip projects downwardly below the lower limit of the wall 3. l't will be perceived that, when the bolt Ii is in retracted position, it will clear the wall d8, but will strike the lip Lid.

When the bar iS is actuated, the pull rod ES retracts the bolt i2 to clear the wall 58. As the notch tt comes into registry with the abutment 2t, the spring 6I will cause the bolt to rock forward about its support upon the washer t, thereby engaging the abutment 2t in the.

63 is similar to the keeper 48 providing a wall engageable by the projected bolt I2 to prevent door-opening movement, but cleared by said lbolt when the bolt is in retracted position. A dependlip @5 is positioned to be engaged by the retracted bolt I2 when the door is closed, to disengage the notch 6i! from the strap 58.

I claim as my invention:

1. A latch assembly comprising a housing adapted to be secured to a swinging closure, a latch bolt guided for reciprocation in said housing and projectible from one end thereof, said housing having an opening in one side thereof substantially coincident with said latch bolt and elongated in the direction of the path of said latch bolt, a rod extending into the opposite end 'of said housing, means providing a rigid pushpull connection substantially free from lost vmotion between said rod and said bolt while leaving said bolt free for limited rocking movement relative to said rod, about an axis transverse to the length of said housing opening and parallel to the plane thereof, in the direction of closure movement, said bolt being provided, in one face, with a transverse notch opening in the direction of closure-closing movement, catch means on said housing adapted to enter said notch, when in registry therewith, a wall transversely arranged adjacent the base of said housing opening, a transverse bar projecting into said opening at a point spaced from said wall toward said one end of said housing, a second transverse bar projecting into said opening at a point between lsaid first-named bar and said one end of said housing, and a leaf spring having one end supported on said wall, bearing against the outer surface of said rst-named bar, bearing against the inner surface of said second bar, and disposed with its opposite end in flexed, frictional ing and projectible from one end thereof, said housing having an opening in one side thereof substantially coincident with said latch bolt and elongated in the direction of the path of said latch bolt, a rod extending into the opposite end of said housing, means providing a rigid pushpull connection substantially free from lost motion between said rod and said bolt while leaving said bolt free for limited rocking movement relative to said rod, about an axis transverse to the length of said housing opening and parallel to the plane thereof, in the direction of closure movement, said bolt being provided, in one face, with a transverse notch opening in the direction of closure-closing movement, catch means on said housing adapted to enter said notch. when in registry therewith, a wall transversely arranged adjacent the base of said housing opening, a bar transversely spanning said housing opening at a point spaced from said wall toward said one end of said housing and providing an abutment surface facing away from said latch bolt, a second bar transversely spanning said opening at a point between said ilrst-named bar and said one end of said housing, and a leaf spring having one end supported on said wall, engaging said bar abutment surfaces intermediate its ends, and having its opposite end in flexed, frictional engagement with said latch bolt to urge the free end thereof in closure-closing direction.

3. The assembly of claim 2 in which said flrstnamed bar is located closer to said latch bolt than is said second bar.

4. A latch assembly comprising a housing 35 adapted to be securedto a swinging closure, a latch bolt guided for reciprocation in said housing and projectlble from one end thereof, a rod extending into the opposite end of said housing and formed, within said housing, with a transverse groove, a washer seated in said groove, said bolt having adjacent, oppositely-facng, transaxial rocking surfaces closely embracing opposite surfaces of said washer, said bolt being provided, in one face, with a transverse notch opening in the direction of closure-closing movement, catch means on said housing adapted to enter said notch, when in registry therewith, and spring means cooperable with the opposite face of said bolt to urge the same in closure-closing direction.

HOMER EICHACKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 460,016 Johnson et al Sept. 22, 1891 965,418 Stevenson July 26, 1910 1,184,919 Bock May 30, 1916 1,460,991 Van Alstyne July 13, 1923 1,548,001 Furry i July 2:8, '1925 1,674,760 Carroll June 26, 1928 2,191,784 Young Feb. 27, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 350,691 Great Britain June 18, 1931 

